cash register

American  

noun

1. a business machine that indicates to customers the amounts of individual sales, has a money drawer from which to make change, records and totals receipts, and may automatically calculate the change due.

---

cash register British  

noun

1. a till with a keyboard that operates a mechanism for displaying and adding the amounts of cash received in individual sales

---

Etymology

Origin of cash register

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80

Example Sentences

As a man in his 60s, I’ve been to my share of bereavement services—but only one took place in front of a cash register.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

The car business is the cash register that funds the empire.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 15, 2026

They will deliver packages for Amazon or man a supermarket cash register to pay their bills.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025

At Attari Sandwich Shop, known for its beef tongue sandwich, the pre-revolution Iranian flag hung near the cash register — but none of the diners wanted to give an interview.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2025

But when he went over to the cash register where Papa was, he said, “Hoyt, she’s dyin’.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns